Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Now ... #GivingTuesday

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Have you noticed the last few years that Thanksgiving weekend has become a bit longer? No, I am not referring to folks tacking on a few days to get the travelling out the way and spend extra quality time with friends and family — I am referring to #GivingTuesday  (December 2 this year).

#GivingTuesday was founded in 2012 (long ago in Social media years!) by New York’s 92nd Street Y  in partnership with the United Nations Foundation as a global day dedicated to giving back where everyone is invited to participate. #GivingTuesday is a global phenomenon with more than 10,000 charities across 40-plus countries participating in 2013. With the average online gift on #GivingTuesday 2013 jumping to $142.05 from the 2012 average of $101.60 emphasizes this is a movement that is catching on.

So how can your organization become a part of #GivingTuesday? There are a couple of steps you can take to achieve this. The first component is to have an inspirational but still practical goal. Another key facet is that you should be able to define a measurable ROI. These parameters paint a picture that makes it easy for prospects to identify and help your organization maximize the short window of this giving campaign.

Along with a goal, it is also important you give this campaign the “full court press” in terms of promotion. While it is obvious that your social media channels should be actively mentioning stories and updates around #GivingTuesday, do not overlook the “older” digital channels. As we are getting closet to December 2, this is the perfect opportunity to add a mention to your home page with a “badge” (small image) that highlights #GivingTuesday along with an action statement and a hyperlink to encourage participation. Take advantage of Altru’s ability to create targeted emails. Identify constituents that will connect with your #GivingTuesday goals and send them personalized messages that emphasize how their participation can have a direct impact. As this is part of a social media campaign, encourage your constituents to spread the word and promote your cause among their personal networks. Along with all these channels, do not overlook the humble e-mail signature either. Staff email signatures can temporarily include an action statement and link to your #GivingTuesday campaign.

Let us look at some organizations within our Altru family for inspiration:

Museum of Jewish Heritage is focusing support for their Interfaith Living Museum. Visit their #GivingTuesday page to see not only a perfect cause for this campaign that has close ties to their mission, but is also for a great example on how to promote  need and campaign outcomes. It is not easy to miss the fundraising target on this page. Clear specific information on how contributions will sponsor activities is amply supported with some great testimonials. Convenient channels to donate (online, phone, in person) also make it easier for potential donors to participate. The fact that they have a matching donor only encourages donors to chip in as donors recognize every dollar they contribute will multiply in value.

MJH

I am also impressed how MJH has taken advantage of customizing their Altru donation form by substituting the heading on the donation form to reinforce the #GivingTuesday effort. You can choose to create a new designation specific to #GivingTuesday or just leverage an existing designation. In either case, it does not take long to set up and customize a donation form in Altru!

Parrish Art Museum shows us that one need not have a new goal to have a #GivingTuesday campaign. PAM has positioned the opportunity for #GivingTuesday donors to help the museum get closer to their Annual Fund target. This is a great way to fold a new opportunity into an existing effort.

parrish

I really like how Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium invites participation with a mini-poster that folks can upload to their own Facebook page.  This gives an opportunity for their supporters to not only identify with their cause but also promote the campaign within their network of friends. Reminding folks to spread the word and use the proper tags is also a nice touch.

pittzoo

Do hope this has inspired some of you to have a closer look at #GivingTuesday and add this to your fundraising efforts.  If you already have a campaign humming, don’t be shy, share your stories!  I am sure everyone will enjoy them! See you on Tuesday!

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